The YOtMG HAT8BAMST: 



A Monthly Magazine of Natural History. 



Part 85. JANUABY, 1887. Vol. 8. 



THE MOLE (Talpa Europcea.) 



By HENRY HILLMAN. 



PERHAPS the most strange in habit of our indigenous quadrupeds is the 

 Common Mole. This little animal, tunnelling and boring beneath the 

 surface of the soil, is not often seen by the casual observer, so that a short 

 account of its life history may be acceptable. 



The species may be described as follows : — The body rather long, nearly 

 cylindrical, rounded behind ; the neck extremely short, so that the head seems 

 to lie between the shoulders ; the snout elongated and depressed, with a ridge 

 along its upper and a groove along its lower surface, its extremity narrow 

 but abrupt ; the nostril terminal ; the eye extremely small, the eyelids open- 

 ing to a very small extent ; the external ears obsolete. The limbs are very 

 short ; the front feet are extremely broad, with the palm directed outwards 

 or backwards ; five toes, with an internal rudimentary toe or appendage, con- 

 sisting of a bone and apparently serving to broaden the part for digging, the 

 first and fifth toes nearly equal, the third longest, the fourth next, the second 

 slightly shorter than the fourth ; the upper surface almost destitute of hairs, 

 the lower bare and wrinkled ; the claws straight, depressed, thin, and round- 

 ed at the end, a little concave beneath, and having at the base a fixed sheath ; 

 on the hind feet, which are rather small and of the ordinary form, are five 

 toes, with an internal rudimentary toe or appendage ; the claws a little cur- 

 ved, slightly bent inwards, compressed, tapering to a point, and grooved 

 beneath ; the sole bare and rugose, the upper part slightly hairy. 



The fur is uniform, consisting of under fur, and having no grain, there 

 being no strong hairs unless on the tail, and a few on the snout. The 

 general colour is blackish-grey, viewed against the pile brownish-black, along 

 the pile bluish-grey and glossy ; the lower parts paler, especially the abdomen, 

 the lower jaw reddish brown ; the lower parts of the neck, and fore part of 



